Footwear comes in a variety of styles, colors and designs to suit various functional and aesthetic goals. Oftentimes, consumers wish to coordinate their footwear to match their outfit. Consumers also require different styles of footwear for formal and informal occasions. This can lead to the need for consumers to own a variety of colors and styles of footwear so that the proper footwear can be chosen to match any color or style of outfit for any formal or informal occasion. This, however, can be very expensive and can lead to difficulty storing numerous pairs of footwear in one's home. This can also lead to storage problems when packing for a trip as several pairs of footwear may need to be stored in luggage if a consumer is unsure what style and/or color footwear will be needed for an out-of-town event. A need therefore exists for a system and method to reduce the sheer number of pairs of shoes needed to match any color or style of outfit for any formal or informal occasion.
Another current problem with footwear is that it can quickly wear out when worn frequently by a consumer. In most cases, when footwear becomes worn-out, it must be replaced in its entirety. In some cases, a consumer may simply be able to replace a shoelace or a sole of the footwear to continue to use the footwear after it has become worn-out, but only certain styles of shoes allow for such a substitution. With respect to open-toed shoes and sandals that do not use shoelaces, there are very few options available to allow a consumer to easily replace the straps of the shoe without destroying the entire shoe. A need therefore exists for footwear which allows a portion of the footwear to be replaced while also allowing for a portion of the footwear to be saved.
Shoes with removable straps have been proposed to provide consumers with the opportunity to use different straps with a single shoe base. However, the straps are attached to the shoe base with screws or other devices that are unsightly and require special tooling to use. A need therefore exists for removable straps that are easy to attach and remove and do not require special tooling for attachment or removal.